Cigar lighter



J. H. COHEN CIGAR LIGHTER June 9, 1942.

Filed Feb. 2, 1938 i6 22 24 24a a6 as INVENTOR fase Ifl Coke ATTOR Patented June 9, 1942 UNITED STATES CIGAR LIGHTER Joseph H. Cohen, Bridgeport, Comm, assignor to Automatic Devices Corporation, Bridgeport, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Application February 2, 1938, Serial No. 188,230

12 Claims.

This invention relates to cigar lighters, and, more particularly, to cigar lighters of the type in which a removable igniting unit is mounted on a holder or base.

In current cigar lighters of the present type, a friction sleeve is provided for holding the re movable igniting unit in the holder against accidental removal therefrom. However, in the manufacture of the holder, difiiculty has been encountered in providing holders having proper internal diameters without resorting to costly machining operations. In other words, when making the holders on a large scale, variations in the internal diameters of the holders will occur.

When this condition exists, diiiiculty is had in properly fitting the igniting unit with the friction sleeve thereon in the bore of the holder so that it will properly contact the inner surface of the holder and hold the igniting unit in position therein.

Accordingly, the igniting unit of the present invention is provided with a friction sleeve which is adjustable to accommodate the igniting unit to holders having bores of various diameters.

sleeve with a plurality of flexible, resilient fingers formed integrally therewith which are bendable so as to contact bores of the holders which vary from the standard diameter.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of an abutment secured to the igniting unit to engage one end of the usual ejector spring which surrounds the igniting unit and in the mounting of the handle on the igniting unit.

According to the present invention, the abutment comprises an outwardly extending plate or the like secured to the igniting unit by means of a tubular locking member having a head extending over the plate to hold it in fixed position on the igniting unit. The handle is provided with a tubular sleeve embedded therein and threaded into the opening and the locking member. With this construction, pressure, caused by the spring, is prevented from being transmitted to the handle.

The handle of the present invention is made of translucent material so that when the heating element is energized and becomes incandescent light from the heating element passes through the tubular bushing and causes the end of the handle to glow to indicate that the cigar lighter is ready for use.

Other features of the invention will be apparent from the specification and claims, when taken in connection with the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the holder with the igniting unit in shallow position and partly in section.

Fig. 2 is a section taken along lines 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective of the friction sleeve per se.

According to the present invention, a holder [0 for the cigar lighter is formed as a tubular shell of sheet metal having one end thereof shaped to form an outwardly projecting flange ii and the other end provided with a wall l2.

A central aperture is formed in the wall I2 and a sleeve It provided with threads on its exterior surface is positioned therein. The sleeve has an outwardly extending head [4 secured to the inner surface of the Wall I2 50 that the sleeve is held in place and projects through the aperture in the wall.

The holder is adapted to be mounted in an aperture in a dashboard IE or other support with the outwardly turned flange l l engaging the front face of the dashboard or other support. A stirrup or U-shaped bracket I6 is provided with an aperture in the transverse part thereof adapted to fit over the projecting sleeve l3 with the legs of the U in engagement with the back of the dashboard. The stirrup or bracket is held in place in clamping relation with the dashboard This is accomplished by providing the friction by means of a nut i1 threaded on the external threads of the sleeve i3. fith this construction, the holder is securely locked in place on the dashboard or other support.

Intermediate the ends of the holder, a contact tang i8 is lanced therefrom so as to project into the holder in a position to form a contact for the circuit of the cigar lighter. The holder is also provided with a plurality of openings 59 which serve to ventilate the same and permit free circulation of air for cooling purposes.

A bolt 2i is mounted in the sleeve l3 but is insulated therefrom by an insulating sleeve 2! and a pair of washers 2'2 and 23. A contact as, having contact fingers 2 2a projecting therefrom, is mounted in the holder and is clamped between the head of the bolt and the insulating washer 22. The contact, bolt and insulation are locked in position by means of a nut 25 threaded on the bolt. The contact is connected to a source of energy by means of a connector lug 73% mounted secured to the other end. The contact cup and conducting cap are provided with rightpassing apertures 38 opening into the tubular body of insulating material, as is usual in these devices.

The igniting unit is adapted to be movably mounted in the holder for movement into a position in which the contact cup engages the contact fingers 24a and the conducting cap engages the contact is to close an energizing circuit for the heating element, and also for complete removal from the holder for use.

In order to prevent the igniting unit from being accidentally moved in the holder, a friction sleeve is mounted on the igniting unit in such a position as to frictionally engage the inner surface of the holder. The friction sleeve has an outwardly flared end 4| which engages the flange I l of the holder to limit the inward movement of the sleeve and igniting unit into the holder. The other end of the-sleeve is formed as an inturned flange 2 and is adapted to be slidably mounted on the reduced portion 34 of the tubular body of insulating material.

It is very difiicult to provide a holder, as a commercial product, with a bore of uniform diameter. These holders are quite frequently slightly oversized or undersized. With holders having oversized bores, the igniting unit, even though it has a friction sleeve thereon, will be loosely mounted therein. With holders having an undersized bore, the igniting units cannot be positioned in theholder without an expensive fitting operation.

The igniting units, as will be seen in Fig. l,

are made with the tubular body and the conducting cap of a diameter slightly less than the normal required diameter of the holder and the friction sleeve is so constructed and arranged that it will accommodate the ignting unit to either over-sized or undersized holders.

In the preferred form of the invention, the inner end of the sleeve is provided with a plurality of slits or V-shaped notches extending from the body of the sleeve to the end thereof. The slits or notches form a multitude of resilient flexible fingers 43 which are bendable to provide a sleeve with a variable outer diameter.

As will be viewed in Fig. l, the outer diameter of the main body of the sleeve is slightly less than the diameter of the standard bore of the holder. However, each of the fingers is provided with a raised portion M, which, when considered together, provide a projecting rib or ring of a diameter substantially the same as the internal bore of the standard holder.

In order to fit the igniting unit to holders having bores of different diameters, it is merely necessary to bend the fingers outwardly to fit an oversized bore or press them inwardly to accommodate a smaller bore, the V-shaped notches permitting the fingers to move inwardly more easily.

An ejector spring 41 encircles the reduced portion 34 of the igniting unit and has one end abutting against the inturned flange 42 of the friction sleeve and the other end abutting a metal washer or plate 48, whereby the igniting unit is normally held in shallow position in the holder but is movable to deep position in which the heating element is energized. The metal washer or plate is held against the end of the tubular body 33 by means of a locking member 49 threaded into the tubular body. The locking member has an outwardly projecting head 50 which overlies the washer or plate and an internal bore extending therethrough. The head of the locking member can be of any desired shape to receive a tool so that it can be threaded into secure locking engagement.

With this construction, the pressure of the spring will be against the metal plate when the igniting unit is moved into closed-circuit relation.

A handle 54, of translucent material, is mounted on the igniting unit. The means for mounting the handle on the igniting unit comprises a tubular member or quill 55 having one end embedded in the handle and provided intermediate its ends witha projecting flange 55. The free end of the hollow member or quill is provided with threads and is threaded into the bore of the locking member.

Clamped between the end of the handle and the flange 56 is a transversely extending plate 5?, having a downwardly extending skirt 58 which extends into engagement with the abutment member or Washer to completely enclose the locking member for the abutment and present a seal against dust and foreign matter for the igniting unit.

t will be seen in Fig. 1 that the tubular member or quill, which is threaded into the locking member, provides a light passage for the lightpassing apertures 38 to the transluent knob so that when the heating element has been energized and brought to the desired incandescence the light will be transmitted to the end of the handle so that it will glow and indicate that the heating element is ready for use.

The igniting unit, having the adjustable friction sleeve and handle structure of the present invention, can be used in either an automatic lighter in which the circuit is broken upon the heating element attaining its predetermined temperature, or it can be used with a lighter which is held in circuit-closing position manually when it is desired to energize the heating element.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. In a cigar lighter, a holder; an igniting unit having a heating element thereon movably mounted in the holder for complete removal for use; and a friction sleeve having the walls thereof formed solely of resilient fingers capable of having a variable outer diameter mounted on the igniting unit to hold the igniting unit in holders having bores of various diameters against accidental removal therefrom.

2. In a cigar lighter, a holder; an igniting unit having a heating element thereon movably mounted in the holder for complete removal for use; and a friction sleeve having a plurality of slits extending to one end thereof to form a wall comprised solely of resilient fingers integral therewith mounted on th igniting unit to engage the inner surface of the holder.

3. In a cigar lighter, a holder; an igniting unit having a heating element thereon movably mounted in the holder for complete removal for use; a friction sleeve having a plurality of slits at one end thereof to form integral fingers thereon mounted on the igniting unit; and a raised annular rib formed in the slitted portion of the sleeve and adapted to engage the inner surface of the holder.

4. In a cigar lighter, a holder; an igniting unit having a heating element thereon movably mounted in the holder for complete removal for use; a friction sleeve having a plurality of V-shaped notches at one end thereof to form integral fingers thereon mounted on the igniting unit; and a raised annular rib formed in the V-shaped notched portion of the sleeve and adapted to engage the inner surface of the holder.

5. In a cigar lighter, a holder; an igniting unit having a heating element thereon movably mounted in the holder for complete removal for use; a friction sleeve slidably mounted on the igniting unit and having an outwardly extending flange adapted to engage one end of the holder to limit its insertion into the holder; an inwardly bent flange at the other end surrounding the igniting unit, the inner end of the sleeve and inwardly bent flange being slit to provide a wall formed solely of a plurality of resilient fingers; and a spring surrounding the igniting unit and having one end engaging the inner split end of the sleeve to hold the igniting unit in normal position on the holder.

6. In a cigar lighter, a holder; an igniting unit having a heating element thereon movably mounted in the holder and completely removable therefrom for use; a friction sleeve mounted on the igniting unit and cooperating with the holder to maintain the igniting unit against accidental removal therefrom; and a spring surrounding the igniting unit and having one end abutting a portion of the friction sleeve and having the other end engaging an abutment on the igniting unit, said spring coacting with the sleeve to normally hold the igniting unit in a predetermined position in the holder, said abutment comprising a washer and a locking element having a head thereon threaded into th igniting unit and locking the washer against the same.

'7. In a cigar lighter, a holder; an igniting unit having a heating element thereon movably mounted in the holder and completely removable therefrom for use; a friction sleeve mounted on the igniting unit to engage the holder and maintain the igniting unit against accidental removal therefrom; a spring surrounding the igniting unit and having one end abutting a portion of the friction sleeve; an abutment on the igniting unit to engage the other end of the spring and hold it m position thereon, said spring cooperating with the sleeve to normally hold the igniting unit in a predetermined position in the holder; and a handle separate from said abutment secured to the igniting unit and having a threaded projection thereon threaded into the abutment.

8. In a cigar lighter, a holder; a hollow igniting unit having a heating element thereon movably mounted in the holder and completely removable therefrom for use; a friction sleeve mounted on the igniting unit to hold the igniting unit in position on the holder against accidental removal therefrom; a spring surrounding the igniting unit and having one end abutting a portion of the friction sleeve and having the other end engaging abutment means on the igniting unit whereby the igniting unit is normally held in a shallow position in the holder, said abutment means including a locking element having a bore therethrough; and a handle of translucent material separate from the abutment and having a hollow] member therein and projecting therefrom, said member being threaded into the bore in the locking element.

9. In a cigar lighter, a holder; an igniting unit having a heating element thereon movably mounted in the holder and completely removable theref om for use; a friction sleeve mounted on the igniting unit to hold the igniting unit against accidental removal therefrom; a spring surrounding the igniting unit and having one end abutting a portion of the friction sleeve and having the other end engaging an abutment means including a locking member on the igniting unit whereby the igniting unit is normally held in a shallow position in the holder; a handle; a transversely extending plate positioned against the handle and having a skirt depending therefrom and into engagement with the abutment means; and a member embedded in the handle having a transverse flange intermediate its ends for clamping the plate against the handle, said memher having the end projecting from the handle secured to the locking element.

10. In a cigar lighter, an igniting unit having a heating element thereon adapted to be received by a holding device and supported thereby for complete removal for use; a friction sleeve mounted on the igniting unit to engage the hold ing device and maintain the igniting unit against accidental removal therefrom; a spring mounted on the igniting unit and having one end abutting a portion of the friction sleeve to hold the sleeve in position on the igniting unit; an abutment secured to the igniting unit to engage the other end of the spring to retain it in proper position on the igniting unit and against accidental removal therefrom; and a handle separate from the abutment secured to the igniting unit whereby the igniting unit can be readily manipulated.

11. In a cigar lighter, an igniting unit having a heating element thereon adapted to be received by a holding device and supported thereby for complete removal for use, said igniting unit having a shoulder thereon; a friction sleeve mounted on the igniting unit to engage the holding device and maintain the igniting unit against accidental removal therefrom, said sleeve having a portion thereof to engage the shoulder; a spring disposed about one end of the igniting unit and having one end engaging a portion of the friction sleeve to hold the sleeve in contact with the shoulder; an abutment secured to the igniting end of the unit to engage the other end of the spring to retain the spring and friction sleeve in assembled relation and against accidental removal from the igniting unit; and a handle separate from the abutment secured to the igniting unit whereby the igniting unit can be manipulated.

12. In a cigar lighter, an igniting unit having a heating element thereon adapted to be received by a holding device and supported thereby for complete removal for use; a friction sleeve mounted on the igniting unit to engage the holding device and maintain the igniting unit against accidental removal therefrom; a spring disposed on the igniting unit and having one end abutting a portion of the friction sleeve to yieldably hold the sleeve in position on the igniting unit; an abutment secured to the igniting unit and projecting to engage the other end of the spring to retain the spring in assembled relation and to receive the thrust of the spring when pressure is applied thereto to move the igniting unit with respect to the friction sleeve on the igniting unit; and means whereby a handle separate from the abutment can be secured to the igniting unit.

JOSEPH H. COHEN.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,285,90h. June 9, 19!;2.

JOSEPH H. COHEN.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 5, sec- 0nd column, line 14.6, claim 11, for "igniting end of the unit to" read end of the igziting unit to--; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may confonn to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this lith day of August, A. D. 191;.2.

Henry Van Arsdale, (Sea'l) I Acting Commissioner of Patents.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,2s ,9oh. June 9, 19LL2.

JOSEPH H. COHEN.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 5, second column, line 11.6, claim 11, for "igniting end of the unit to" read -end of the igniting unit to-; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with thiscorrection therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 14th day of August, A. D., 1914.2.

v Henry Van Arsdale, (Sea'l) I Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

